Government failing to widen university access, figures show

Thursday 20 July 2006 11.30 EDT
First published on Thursday 20 July 2006 11.30 EDT

The government's multimillion-pound push to widen access to higher education is slowly losing steam, as the proportion of state school students going to university continues to fall and drop-out rates rise, new figures show.

Latest figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) have disappointed ministers, who had been championing a year-on-year rise of the percentage of state school pupils going on to higher education.

The government is spending £300m on widening access to university, and aims to get 50% of young people entering higher education by 2010.

After an impressive four years when figures rose from 85% in 1999 to 86.8% in 2003-04, the trend ended with the release of figures from 2004-05 and further worsened this year, particularly when it came to the prestigious Russell group of universities.

At Cambridge, 56.8% of first-year degree students in 2004-05 came from state schools, down 0.1 percentage points on the previous year and well below the government's 75% benchmark.

Oxford accepted 53.4% of new undergraduates from state school or college backgrounds, down 0.4 percentage points from the previous year. The benchmark for Oxford's state school intake was 74.6%.

This year's figures are likely to make some universities nervous about the impact of £3,000 tuition fees which are due to be introduced in September. Universities know too well that they will have to increase their efforts to promote higher education to low-income families worried about soaring levels of debt.

MPs, lecturers and vice-chancellors voiced disappointment at this year's figures, which also showed a fall in the proportion of graduates who find work or continue studying at the end of their courses.

Just 28.2% of young first-year degree students starting courses in 2004-05 came from lower socioeconomic groups, a fall from 28.6% the previous year.

The proportion of teenagers who went to university from state schools or colleges fell - from 86.8% in 2003-04 to 86.7% in 2004-05 - while the projected drop-out rate for students who started courses in 2003-04 rose from 14.4% to 14.9%.

While Cambridge, Exeter and Oxford have drop-out rates of less than 2%, Bolton, East London and London South Bank are among the worst when it comes to retention.

Employment levels among graduates also fell slightly, with 93.0% employed or studying six months after graduation in 2004-05, down from 93.1% the previous year.

The higher education minister, Bill Rammell, said: "We are disappointed that the percentages of young full-time students from disadvantaged backgrounds have not increased since last year.

"Although over the last five years we have seen some overall increases from these groups, the percentages have fallen from last year, which is disappointing. The government is determined to do everything possible to make further progress and widen participation.

The Conservative higher education spokesman, Boris Johnson, said: "We must make sure all Britain's brightest kids get the chance to go to university. These figures are not completely discouraging, for example, the number of both young and mature part-time entrants from low-participation neighbourhoods has increased as has the number of mature full-time students.

"However, these figures do indicate how much work there is still to be done."

A spokesperson for Universities UK, the umbrella group representing vice-chancellors said: "If we are to continue to widen access from disadvantaged groups, it is vital that we increase the staying on rates beyond compulsory schooling. In the UK the participation rate of 17-year-olds in education is one of the lowest of any OECD country - and evidence suggests that it's the students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds that are leaving education earlier.

"UK universities are already engaged in a wide range of successful initiatives to encourage more applications from candidates with no family experience of higher education. These initiatives - which include a wide variety of different outreach projects - are making a difference but the figures are not going to change overnight.

"Under the new fee regime, universities are also offering more than £350m in bursaries to support these students. These bursaries, together with the enhanced student support measures such as the re-introduction of non-repayable grants, should provide further incentives to encourage more young people to enter higher education.

"On course non-completion, it is worth noting that the UK HE sector has one of lowest drop out rates of any OECD country."

The Universities and Colleges Union (UCU) joint general secretary, Sally Hunt, expressed concern at the Hesa figures. Ms Hunt said: "The university experience is about so much more than students coughing up for their degree. It needs to properly look after the welfare and well being of staff and students. Government policy must ensure the brightest students are able to study the course most suited to their skills, taught by well-paid and well-motivated staff." The admissions service Ucas also published statistics yesterday, which showed a fall of 3.5% from last year in applications to start university courses this autumn. This represented to 17,184 fewer students applying by the June 30 deadline compared to last year.